April 28 2017

Check Out the New Music Happening in Iceland!

These are just some of the new tunes you need to listen to.

Thanks to events like the Reykjavik Festival in Los Angeles, Icelandic music has been booming on both the national and international scale. Spring is bringing new albums, records, tour dates and more from some of Iceland’s most talented musicians. Here are just some of the new music happenings going on now in Iceland:

Glowie​

Icelandic singer Sara Pétursdóttir (better known as Glowie) may be young and new to Iceland’s music scene, but that hasn’t stopped her from reaching her dreams. At just 19, the pop star has already made history by signing one of the largest music deals in Iceland’s history with Columbia Records.

After opening for Jessie J in the fall of last year, Glowie rose to fame with her first single, “No Lie,” which took over Iceland’s music charts for seven weeks. With this record deal, Glowie will join the ranks of other musicians signed with Columbia, including Beyonce, Calvin Harris, John Mayer, Adele, Celine Dion and more. She described the experience as “unreal” but added, “It's my dream coming true.”

If you’re interested in seeing Glowie live, grab your tickets to the Iceland Airwaves festival, where she is set to perform in November of 2017! And be sure to take a listen to some of Glowie’s songs below!

Úlfur Eldjárn

Icelandic composer and musician Úlfur Eldjárn has long been in the spotlight as a member of the Apparat Organ Quartet, but he is now looking to make a shift to solo artistry with his first album, The Aristókrasía Project. The album is a collection of music that differs from his previous works and pays tribute to retro-futuristic space travel, A.I science and the relationships between humans and machine. Musically, the album features synthesisers and electronics mixed with a touch of classical instrumentation to pay homage to both past NASA voyages and technology that is yet to come.

Björn Thoroddsen

Originally a rock musician, Björn Thoroddsen is now one of Iceland’s leading jazz guitarists. Though he has been an acclaimed soloist for many years, Björn recently announced that he is teaming up with Robben Ford to embark on a tour in the United States starting in May. Björn is excited to work alongside his guitar idol, as well as partnering with American country music singer, Mackenzie Wasner.

Take a look the dates for the tour below and keep checking back here for more information!

Kaleo

California’s biggest music festival, Coachella, kicked off this weekend, and Iceland’s own Kaleo was there! The four-member rock-blues band gave an unforgettable performance on Saturday and entertained the massive crowds with hits like “Way Down We Go” and “No Good.” Kaleo was recently named the top new rock artist by Billboard for 2016 and is sure to be a band to watch for on the international charts in 2017!

MYRKFÆLNI

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MYRKFÆLNI was founded by Kinnat Sóley and Sólveig Matthildur Kristjánsdótti to help you find your favorite Icelandic underground music with ease. The organization was founded to celebrate grittier music genres like black metal. The duo plans to launch a magazine with the same name to help distribute Icelandic punk music to every part of the world. Kinnat said, “Our main objective is promoting Icelandic underground music abroad, and the MYRKFÆLNI magazine is a way to do that." Read more about the project here.

Which of your favorite Icelandic musicians is making waves this spring? Let us know in the comments or tweet us at @IcelandNatural!